


Battle Scars

by PaigeDestiny



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team as Family, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:22:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28672932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaigeDestiny/pseuds/PaigeDestiny
Summary: Skye is a mercenary. She works alone and with no one else. She doesn't need anyone... or maybe she does. The young adult ends up on SHIELD's radar and Coulson's team are hunting her. After a mission goes badly wrong Skye ends up in the clutches of an evil organisation, Hydra. Will the SHIELD team save her or treat her like the enemy?
Comments: 7
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my second fanfiction! This is going to be more Agent and Team specific but will still have the ups and downs of a family, team dynamic. There will be some mystery and angst but light-hearted moments too. I hope you enjoy and please leave a review, I love to know if what I'm writing is ok or not! Thanks :)

Darkness. All she remembered was darkness. There were no children playing, laughing or even crying. No school or lessons, no mommy or daddy days out. Blank. She made sure her mind was blank. Otherwise there were mistakes. Otherwise she made mistakes. Memories and feelings make people weak and Skye had to be strong. She couldn't afford to remember. She couldn't afford to be distracted.

Looking down through the scope of her sniper rifle Skye breathed in, then out. In, then out. On the third breath she breathed in, then bang! Her shoulder tensed, feeling the ricochet before she was up, quick as lightning, packing up her gear. Then she took of running, sprinting down the dark alleys without a backwards glance. She didn't need to know if she had hit her target, she always did. This was routine. Her hair was short but lose, flowing in the wind as she rounded another corner. However, in this alley she wasn't alone. The secondary target was escaping, his boss dead.

Skye approached the man and his three bodyguards and took a defensive stance, waiting for the men to make their first move. Instantly, the tallest one obliged, stepping forward and aiming a punch to her stomach before unholstering his gun. Skye dodged the punch and kicked the gun out of his other hand before twisting him to the floor. She didn't have time for this. The secondary target was just about to climb into his getaway vehicle then he would be gone.

After a quick glance around to make sure she was alone, Skye took a deep breath, enhancing the vibrational force in her arms before aiming a shock wave at the men and the vehicle, sending them all flying. Skye let out a sigh as she let her powers shut down again and ran to the target putting two bullets in his skull. He was too important to remain alive.

"What the hell was that?" Grant Ward yelled.

"Nice to see you too" Skye replied sarcastically. She didn't even have to look to know who had broken into her van. It was always Ward.

Skye remained stoic as Ward threw a police report at her. Slowly, Skye skimmed through the pages and it became apparent why Ward was angry. There were several highlighted words 'tremors', 'earthquakes' among with murders and attacks. One of the articles even reported a brown haired, short attacker. But none of this was ever made public and the police couldn't touch her so Skye wasn't worried.

"Never use your powers in public again!" Ward ranted whilst Skye just rolled her eyes, angering him more.

"What did you want me to do Grant? The target was getting away!" Skye answered fiercely.

"I want you to be smart. Use my training not some ability you don't need"

Skye sighed "Whatever. Is the boss happy?"

Ward nodded "Yeah. I have some things to do but we'll debrief and get the next mission tomorrow."

Ward kissed Skye on the cheek and she froze before relaxing. "See you tomorrow" Skye replied, watching as Grant left the van.

Skye wouldn't exactly call herself lonely but being on the run meant she couldn't get close to anyone. Maybe it was better that way. But Ward had been there for her whole journey, her training. He probably knew more about her past than she could remember, she owed him. Ward had a boss and Skye's boss was Ward that was how it worked. It took all of Skye's will to not look into the people she was hunting, finding out if they had a family or if they were in any way as lost as her. She couldn't afford to be weak, she had to be objective. They were just jobs. She had the skills and she needed the money and… and without this then what was she?

Skye washed her cut knuckles and cleaned the cut just above her eye. She had no recollection of how she had sustained them but didn't care. The pain was welcomed. Skye sighed as she pulled on her black leather jacket and made her way outside. She swiftly jumped onto her van and then onto the café roof. Running along the rooftops Skye stopped when she reached her favourite spot. It was a three story building where Skye could see the city and everyone in it. Skye sat with her legs swaying over the edge and felt a thrill of adrenaline. Watching all the people below, Skye pretended that she could read their minds, their stories. 'None of their stories is as messed up as mine' Skye thought.

"It happened again!" Hunter yelled storming through the doors of the Playground. "How does this chick keep beating us to it?"

Bobbi shook her head "She's good. But this also means that someone else is after the same answers we are or they're trying to cover their tracks"

"Debrief in 5" May called, walking passed the two agents and into Coulson's office.

Coulson was pacing behind his desk when May entered "I don't like this May" he said. "It's the same woman from last week in the labs and now she killed the people we were going to try to capture. Is she Hydra or just a mercenary?"

May sighed and sat down in the seat in front of his desk "I don't know but she's pissing me off. We are always a minute too late, but she's good. Really good. I ran facial recognition and there's nothing, no records of her no hint that she exists at all. She's a ghost."

"She's also a threat" Coulson reasoned.

Just then Bobbi, Hunter, Fitz and Simmons entered.

"Tell me you got something" Coulson said.

"Sorry sir but the targets were eliminated before we could get any answers and the office was wiped clean. The third party had gone by the time we arrived." Bobbi recounted.

Coulson sat down behind his desk "All we know is that Hydra is still out there, doing experiments, hurting innocent people. The only people with access to where Hydra is hiding have been killed by this girl. Either she's hydra and is killing her own to make sure no one talks. Or she's following the same leads as us. Either way the one link to everything is her."

"What are you proposing?" Hunter asked.

"We find the girl. Either she co operates with us or we make her" Coulson summarised.

"Yes sir"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Please let me know what you think and thank you all so much for reading, it means so much! I hope you all enjoy!

Her skull was on fire, her tiny skinny wrists bound tightly in metal restraints and she was lying on an icy, harsh table. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't move and it was agony. There was a faint patter of rain and if Skye tilted her head slightly she could see the faint glow of a window, of outside, so close yet so far.

"Number 225, second experiment of the day. I will now begin electronic pulses to the subjects brain."

Suddenly, she felt a sickly, warm voice next to her ear. "Don't worry Daisy, after all, discovery requires experimentation"

She screamed.

Skye shot up out of bed, screaming and drenched in sweat. In her haste to escape her subconscious terror she slipped, smacking her head on the floor.

"Ow, shit" Skye moaned before slowly sitting up. Checking her watch, she tried to slow her breathing and calm her mind. Once back in control of her body, Skye reached for her pill bottle only to find it empty.

Swearing, she got up and dressed. Desperately trying to keep her mind from the nightmare, She tried going over what she would say in the debrief. 'Target 1 eliminated by a sniper round in the head…' however, Skye couldn't help wincing when she saw a glance of herself in the mirror.

From head to toe were scars and bruising. To a foreign eye, Skye could have been Frankenstein's monster. Sighing she absentmindedly traced her fingers over the 225 that was printed on her right wrist.

"Skye? Are you up?" Ward yelled making Skye jump.

'Pull yourself together Skye, you were trained better than this. Focus!' Skye scolded herself.

Quickly throwing on a pair of black jeans and hoodie Skye opened the door to her van.

"Your place or mine?" Skye joked, winking whilst Ward rolled his eyes.

"Neither, we have to go now, there's been a report of an 084 in a lab not too far from here and the boss wants it, grab your gear"

Skye quickly grabbed her things before following Ward out of her van and into his car.

"Do we have any idea what it is and why the boss wants it so badly?" Skye asked.

Ward shook his head "I just know he needs it. It looks like this, says it's a weapon. I also know we're not the only people to be alerted to it's presence so be prepared for a fight"

Skye looked at the picture, to her it looked like any normal machine in an abandoned garage, but Skye knew looks could be deceiving.

Whilst driving Skye could feel Ward analysing her "You ok rookie?"

"Fine"

"No your pulling that face again, what's wrong?"

To the outside world Skye could be cold and unfeeling. She could shut down and defend any scrutinizing eyes but Ward could see through her walls and it was frustrating, yet… nice at the same time. But Skye couldn't tell Ward about her nightmare, so she done what she does best, deflect. "Why can't I see the boss?"

Ward sighed and rolled his eyes "You know why. He wants to keep his identity hidden and you haven't gained his trust yet"

Skye knew this was bullshit. She had been partnered with Ward for a year now and had never seen or heard a name for who she worked for. She doubted the boss even knew Ward had gained a partner. After chasing ghosts Skye chose to work with Ward, he needed her skills and ability and she needed the money, it was a win - win. In her spare time, she could fight who she liked and chase down her personal vendetta and in the meantime, she earned enough money to survive.

"We're going in through the window there. The place is low on security, shouldn't be too hard to infiltrate, apart from the potential third party"

Skye nodded "roger that"

After infiltrating the building, they split up. Ward taking the stairs to the first floor whilst Skye continued down the corridor. She was about to open and check a room when she heard footsteps from behind.

Skye spun around her gun meeting fearful eyes. Slowly she relaxed, it was only a small red-haired scientist. The scientist went to scream but Skye quickly rushed forward and stopped her.

"Scream and I'll kill you" She whispered, watching as the scientist's eyes went wide.

"Now tell me where this is" Skye showed the scientist the picture on her phone and the lady pointed to the room Skye had been about to enter.

"Good, now I'm sorry about this" In one quick fluid motion, Skye smacked her gun around the woman's head causing her to collapse. After catching her, Skye dragged her body into an empty cupboard nearby and closed the door.

Suddenly, Skye felt an arm grip her throat as she came face to face with a tall blonde-haired woman. Skye recognised the eagle badge printed on the woman's arm, she was SHIELD.

Without hesitation, Skye yanked her head from the grip and aimed a punch at the woman's side. The woman blocked the punch with ease, leaving Skye off balance. The woman used this opportunity to place a quick, well-aimed kick at Skye's face which Skye dodged to her right. The two continued like this, battling intensely, electricity buzzing in the air. There were a mix of limbs and hair flying as the pair continued on and on, neither gaining the upper hand until Skye stumbled allowing the woman to kick Skye hard in the stomach. Skye winced, thrown backwards by the force of the kick.

"I don't know who you are but you have two options. Come in quietly or I drag you into HQ with a bag over your head" The blonde told Skye, wiping blood from her lip.

Skye spat out blood at the woman's feet, "you wish"

Before the woman could reach Skye, she was on her feet and the blonde was sent flying, head smacking the opposite wall with a sickening crunch as she fell unconscious.

Skye caught her breath, wiped the blood from her forehead and went to retrieve the 084. Luckily, she met no one in the room and contacted Ward to meet her at the car. Just as Skye exited the room, she heard a yell "Bobbi!"

Skye turned and came face to face with an Asian woman, slightly smaller than her, but with just as much anger and pain in her eyes. For a second the two just stood there, staring at each other but for some reason Skye didn't want to fight her. She had already hurt Bobbi and that wasn't the mission and, as far as she knew, they weren't the enemy.

May observed the young woman standing opposite her. She recognised her from the pictures the security cameras had captured from the last few missions but in person she could tell the woman was young, very young. She could only be about 19 or 20 no more than 21. Before May could make a move, the girl had gone, running in the other direction. May went to run after her but paused, eyes falling on Bobbi.

"Come in, north west corner in need of an evac, over"

Hunters voice immediately came online "May are you ok? Where's Bobbi?"

May rolled her eyes "Bobbi's down but she should be fine. Possible concussion" May sighed "I'll explain when we get back to base"

Skye jumped into the car and waved the 084 playfully before Ward rolled his eyes and put it into the back seat.

"Good job Rookie"

Skye didn't miss the way Ward slyly slipped a hard drive into his pocket but chose to pretend she didn't see it.

"Where to now?" Skye asked.

"Safe house. We don't know if they're following us and we need to refuel"

Skye nodded and relaxed in her seat. Something about this mission seemed off, hell, something about Ward seemed off. They had always gone on a mission, shot this person, killed that person and then gone home. Lately, it seemed like the stakes were getting higher and the missions longer. Skye sighed and shook her head, she needed to stop caring. If you cared you got hurt and she didn't need any more pain.

"She's just a kid"

Coulson sighed and sat down behind his desk "and by the looks of things she's highly skilled. I mean to take out Bobbi single handily."

Hunter stormed into the room "Less talk, more kill. No one hurts Bobbi like that and lives to tell the tale"

May rolled her eyes, "I don't know… there was something unnerving about her but also familiar. And after she obtained the 084 she chose to leave. I saw her identity yet she let me go without a fight"

"Maybe she isn't as smart as we thought. Didn't pick up Hydra's no survivors policy" Hunter chipped in.

"But that's my point. She's definitely not Hydra. An assassin maybe but then who's she working for? I don't believe she's in charge" May argued.

"What about the man she was with? Was anyone able to identify him?" Coulson asked.

Hunter shook his head "Fitz managed to get a blurred image but like the girl, he's a ghost."

Coulson sighed, something wasn't right.

As soon as they entered the safe house which was out in the country Skye went straight to the bathroom to clean up. She stank of blood and her skin itched from the trickle of sweat. After finding some clean towels, she quickly dampened her body and hair, making sure to scrub the dried blood off. After feeling cleaner, she opened the cupboards and found a first aid kit. Carefully, she cleaned and bandaged some of her wounds pausing when she spotted the darkening bruising on her forearms. She knew that her powers came with a price but she had never seen her arms this dark.

Skye jumped as Ward knocked on the door "Hey I'm making dinner, are you alright?"

"Fine, I'll be out in a sec" Skye replied before reaching into her pockets and pulling out her arm covers.

Skye hated to admit it but it had become a comforting thing, covering up her bruising to avoid stares. A couple of months ago when she had become brave enough to start using her powers more, Skye had bought a pair of black elbow length gloves. Tight and thin which allowed her to fight in them and she had cut off the hands to form little sleeves. Sometimes Skye would leave them off, preferring to pretend she was ok enough without them but right now she needed them on.

"Hmmm smells nice" Skye praised as she sat down on the counter "I didn't know you could cook"

Ward smiled to himself "There's a lot of things you don't know"

Skye rolled her eyes and snatched a piece of garlic bread which caused Ward to playfully hit her on the arm.

Sitting at the table across from each other Skye thought back to when they first met.

Rain was hammering down on the bleak pavement in the middle of the night. It was late December so the rain felt like small daggers upon the skin. Skye had awoken, shaking and drenched, lying face down on the side of a silent road. It was dark and she was terrified. Slowly, Skye lifted her head and squinted but the rain was too heavy and her eyes too weak. Her whole body was on fire, yet numb and her head ached. Skye didn't remember anything after that apart from a blurred body and then the sensation of flying. The next thing she knew she awoke in a small apartment, dry and comfortable but confused. Ward had told her that he had been returning from a job when he had seen her, small and frail lying on the side of the road. He had picked her up and taken her home, treated her until she was revived. Skye desperately wanted to believe him but a part of her felt like he was hiding something and his face… his face felt like an itch in her brain that she couldn't quell. When Skye had awoke in Ward's apartment she had remembered nothing. No memory of being a child of family, only brief flashes of pain. And when she thought of the pain…

Skye tried to focus back to the meal. It wasn't her fault that her powers were tied with her emotions. She had control of them now and that's all that mattered.

"Skye?"

Skye snapped her thoughts back to the present "yeah?"

"You sure your ok?"

"I said I'm fine Ward so drop it!" Skye snapped before standing up abruptly and going upstairs. She wasn't in the mood. Today had been confusing and exhausting and she needed rest.

Skye was lying in bed when she felt the mattress dip next to her and a light breath on her shoulder.

"Morning" Ward mumbled into her ear "I'm sorry"

Skye sighed and turned over, Wards deep brown eyes boring into her soft hazel ones. Skye had never been romantically involved with Ward, apart from the occasional flirtatious banter and kissing Skye had always managed to keep her distance but she knew Ward wanted a lot more than she did.

Skye tried not to flinch as Ward gently caressed her cheek "It's fine, just forget about it yeah?" Skye replied.

Ward nodded before moving his lips closer to hers, his hands reaching for her shoulder straps.

Suddenly Skye pulled away and moved to the door, "Ward, Grant, I'm sorry but I just…"

Ward stood up and placed his hands in the air "Look, I get it, it's all good"

Skye sighed in relief "I do like you Ward but you know what I've been through and my body… I just can't"

Ward nodded "No, I'm sorry, I know. I'll go make us some breakfast"

After making sure Ward had gone downstairs Skye slid down the door and onto the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Who are you?" the sickly voice whispered into her ear.

"I don't know"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your support, it means so much! I've written 12 chapters so far and am hoping to update once a week but lately life has been a bit crazy with University etc so I'm sorry if it isn't always consistent. Also keep in mind when you read this that everything happens for a reason... you will soon find out why this happens... Hope you enjoy!

"Where are you going?"

Skye walked towards the door but Ward quickly blocked her path.

"I have stuff to do Ward, no one followed us so I'm leaving" Skye replied but as she proceeded to move around him Ward blocked her path again.

"We should stay a bit longer just to be sure. I made breakfast"

"Thanks, but I work best alone Ward and you know that so let me past"

Ward sighed and Skye caught the guilty look on his face "I can't"

"Why? Wait, what did you do Ward?" Skye grit her teeth, digging her fingernails into her palms trying to prevent her powers from spiralling out of control.

"Look Skye, I haven't been honest…"

Whatever Ward was about to say was drowned out by the buzzing of helicopters, getting closer and closer. Skye's eyes went wide as realisation dawned on her. Someone was coming here, and she had a feeling they weren't friendly.

"Who are they Ward? SHIELD? Hydra? Someone else? What the hell is going on!" Skye yelled above the noise.

Skye saw Ward's eyes flicker towards the number printed on her wrist "Skye, I'm sorry, they wanted you. I had to…"

Skye quickly punched Ward in the mouth, a slight pleasure coming over her as blood poured onto the carpet.

"Who are they?!" She screamed.

Ward shook his head, grimacing in pain. Skye gave him one last disappointed look before she ran.

Sprinting out of the back door Skye matched her racing heartbeat to the rhythm of her feet pounding the grass. She was being hunted, hunted like a lion escaped from a circus. She squinted as bright lights zoomed across the grass temporarily blinding her but she couldn't stop. Her legs were on fire, chest heaving, and she was scared… no terrified. It couldn't happen again… not again.

Skye wasn't religious but, in that moment, she prayed. She prayed to anyone or any God's just to let her live. Skye sprinted and never stopped, even when her feet moved from soft grass to solid pavement. She took turn after turn after turn, tears streaking down her cheeks as she gasped for breath, but she still didn't feel safe. The buzzing of the helicopters had long been silenced but still she ran until she collapsed in an alleyway, alone and vulnerable.

LINE BREAK

"Whilst we are making some improvements subject 225 is still choosing to fight against the experiments. We will have to make some adjustments to see if we can… break her"

Skye gasped awake, sitting up abruptly. For a minute she was completely disorientated, her mouth was dry, her throat thick and she had no idea where she was. Skye squinted in the sunlight and hissed as she tried to stand. Her whole body burned like she had been struck by lightning.

"Hey are you alright?"

Skye jumped as she saw a man standing at the opening of the alleyway, looking concerned. She immediately straightened up and plastered on a fake smile "fine thanks, must have drank too much last night". To sweeten the deal Skye added a high-pitched giggle.

This seemed to calm the man who turned and carried on down the street. As soon as he was out of sight Skye slumped against the wall, barely able to support her own weight. But she had to. Using all her strength Skye heaved herself upright and started to limp down the street. Ignoring concerned looks from passer-by's, she managed to decipher that she was on the outskirts of Manhattan not too far from where her van was, but she couldn't risk going back there. Instead Skye took a different turn and carried on in the opposite direction. Slyly, she blended in with the busy, manic streets until she found a small cheap motel. After checking herself in, under the name Mary, Skye unlocked her room and collapsed onto the bed.

Skye jumped awake and sluggishly rubbed her eyes. Silently she berated herself for falling asleep, she knew better than this. Usually she was a light sleeper, ready to pounce at any moment however after all the events of today she had slept like the dead. She needed to be on high alert not resting. Skye glanced at the clock which read 8:00 PM and sighed, she needed to keep moving.

After getting up and drinking thirstily from the tap, she took a quick shower before getting dressed again. Skye sighed as she peered in the mirror. She needed a disguise, but she had left all her things at the safe house or her van and she couldn't go back to either of them. Skye wasn't stupid she always knew that this scenario could happen which was why she hid safe boxes everywhere, but she bet Ward had figured out where, he knew her too well.

In a sudden fit of anger Skye punched the mirror causing it to shatter, shards spiralling to the floor.

"Damn you Ward!" she screamed into the lonely silence. Out of everything that had happened to her Wards betrayal stung the most. She was used to being alone, but it still sucked. When Ward had arrived out of nowhere, helped her piece together some of her broken past, she had found hope. Maybe only a little but for her it was everything and now… and now.

Skye bit her lip to prevent tears escaping and grabbed some wet tissue paper to clean the cuts on her hands. She had never felt more lost and there was no one she could turn to for help. Skye sighed first off, she needed cash and she knew just where to get some.

After locating a computer near the back corner, Skye took a seat and began to type swiftly. She accessed the dark web with ease looking for contractors, but after 5 minutes of frantic searching she was left with nothing. 'Think Skye, think!' she urged herself when an idea struck. Pulling up her email, making sure it was completely secure, she typed in an encrypted message and clicked send. She received a reply within seconds. An old buddy of hers owed her a favour, he was ex government but still had connections which paid a high price for wanted people, people whom she could help bring in. Skye glanced at the person she was meant to be capturing, a Mr Donnie Gill.

"Donnie Gill, ex cadet at SHIELD academy, since our last mission with him he has gained some… gifts"

"Gifts?" Fitz inquired.

Coulson nodded "He seems to be able to make and control ice" he informed the team, "he's on Hydra's radar as well as several government agencies, but we need to bring him in first. Suit up"

Mack, Hunter and May all rose and left, only Simmons and Fitz remained.

"Sir with all due respect Donnie knows us, especially Fitz, if there is any way to bring him in quietly then you need us out there in the field" Simmons plead.

Coulson sighed "Noted Simmons and whilst I agree it's too dangerous right now. With Hydra and that mystery girl it's just not possible to risk more than we must right now. Besides I need someone covering for me."

Simmons huffed but raised an eyebrow curiously "you're going on the mission too Sir?"

Coulson nodded "I want to see this mystery girl for myself."

Simmons nodded and followed Fitz out of the room "We will help run back end then".

Skye managed to steal some clothes and basic supplies for the mission, but it wasn't nearly enough. 'You've fought worse with less things Skye' she reminded herself. Besides if worst came to worst then she had freaking superpowers. Skye sighed, waiting for her phone to buzz with a location. As soon as it did, she was ready, taking off into the night like a hawk.

Skye approached the massive, old abandoned warehouse and tried to shake off the feeling of dread. Something didn't feel right and the closer she got the more her heart rate picked up. 'You can do this' she tried to encourage herself, but her mind was too distracted. Carefully, Skye pried open a window near the back corner of the property and slid in undetected. She didn't know where Donnie was but as soon as she entered the dimly lit hallway the freezing air chilled her soul. Following the icy trail, Skye moved swiftly up a steep staircase and into the next set of hallways. The eerie white walls reminded her of a hospital, and it was hard not to imagine a creepy doctor roaming the halls ahead. Skye silently cursed her overactive imagination as she made her way around a corner, pausing when she heard the faintest of footsteps ahead.

"I don't like the feel of this place Phil" May noted as she crept down the hallway. Coulson couldn't agree more. Something felt… odd and wrong.

"Mack, Hunter come in" he ordered and sighed when he received static "comms are down"

May rolled her eyes "as always"

Suddenly she heard movement from her right and swiftly turned, raising her gun. "Someone's in there" she whispered.

Coulson nodded in response moving to the right side of the door with May on the left. In one fluid motion Coulson knocked the door down and May rushed in, gun raised ready to attack. She paused as she came face to face with a young boy standing defenceless in the corner facing her with a hint of fear in his eyes. Donnie looked different… he looked broken.

"Donnie?" Coulson prompted slowly moving forward.

"Stay away!" Donnie yelled throwing up his hands.

"Donnie we don't want to hurt you we want to help" Coulson tried to reason but Donnie was becoming more erratic.

"Your just like them!" he yelled backing against the wall. As soon as his back hit the corner ice erupted through his fingers encasing the wall.

Skye heard yelling and sprinted towards the source of the noise. Breaking through the door she paused as she took in the scenario before her. A boy, who she assumed was Donnie, was standing protectively in the corner, ice outlining his body. A man and woman who Skye knew were SHIELD were standing in front of him guns raised. They couldn't kill him, she needed him alive.

"Stop!" Skye ordered as the two agents and Donnie turned to her surprised.

As soon as Donnie's eyes met Skye's he gasped in recognition "Skye?"

Skye stood routed to the spot as her mind scrambled for answers. She knew him. She had to. That face… his face, she knew it from somewhere. It felt like an impossible itch inside her skull and it pained her that she couldn't scratch it.

"Donnie… how do I know you?" She demanded.

Coulson and May stood silently watching the exchange, if this mysterious girl, Skye, could talk Donnie in quietly then they had no objections. In truth Coulson wasn't entirely sure how to deal with him and his newfound abilities.

"You don't remember?" He asked "I thought I'd never see you again"

Skye shook her head, she must be dreaming. Quickly Skye moved forward gun pointed at Donnie's chest "Who are you?!" she yelled.

"One of you"

Skye gasped as Donnie rolled up his sleeve revealing the number 212 printed on his left wrist. Immediately Skye dropped her gun, standing there stunned. She thought she was the only one…

Suddenly a loud gunshot echoed through the room. Donnie's face went pale, his lips drawn into a stunned 'o' before he crumbled to the floor in slow motion. Blood poured from his stomach as he gasped for breath, drowning on his own blood.

Skye kneeled beside him, eyes watering "Donnie" she gasped as she cradled his head. For some reason his head was familiar and those eyes… she didn't just know him, she was his friend.

May and Coulson watched the exchange between the two youngsters with wide eyes, neither one wanting to interrupt the bittersweet reunion. However, when the gunshot sounded, they sprang into action, aiming their weapons at the newest addition to their party.

A tall white-haired man stood proudly at the door behind a few of his henchmen, all pointing their guns toward Coulson and May.

"Well, Donnie played his part perfectly" the man altered his gaze at the two SHIELD agents "now, now Mr Coulson we only want the girl. We have no quarrel with your little band of misfits so you may go". The man gestured to the door, but May and Coulson stood their ground they couldn't trade their lives for Skye's and besides SHIELD needed her information just as much as Hydra did. If Hydra had her then they would be even further behind in this battle of survival.

Coulson recognised the man "Whitehall nice to finally meet you but with all due respect we won't let you take what's not yours"

Skye straightened up and wiped the tears from her eyes, watching the agents with curious eyes. They were sticking up for her, yet she hurt one of them, why?

"Very well" replied Whitehall.

The next series of events all seemed to happen in slow motion. Whitehall's men fired their guns at May and Phil who dodged out the way. Skye sprinted towards the men preparing to take them out when she felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck. Everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Thanks so so much for the support i've been extremely busy with work and uni but I'm writing more and more as I settle into a routine. But anyways heres the next chapter! Thank you for all of the support and please Let me know what you think and also if u like this then please check out my other fanfic! thanks for everything!

"Sir? Sir! Can you hear me? Sir?"

Coulson squinted, instinctively raising a hand to shield his eyes from the bright white light. His head felt foggy, how had he gotten here? "Fitz he's awake! Sir if you could lie still for a minute until you can process your surroundings"

"What happened?" Coulson asked.

To his surprise May's voice floated into the room "We were ambushed, Hydra. They murdered Donnie. I managed to get you out, not that you were any help" May crossed her arms and smirked.

"What about that girl, Skye?"

"Hydra took her. We should have shot her on the spot, Hydra wants her so she must be dangerous" May replied.

Coulson carefully lifted himself from the bed and stood in front of May "No, no killing. We did the right thing. We utilised her knowledge of Donnie to prevent him losing control."

"And because of that we've just handed Hydra a potential weapon leaving us one step behind again!" Hunter argued waltzing into the room.

"Enough what's happened, happened. Patch yourselves up and reconvene in 10 minutes in my office." Coulson ordered watching as the team dispersed.

Skye shivered and curled in on herself begging her mind to succumb to the darkness again. She didn't have to open her eyes to tell how unfamiliar her surroundings were. Her body ached and the cold floor was harsh against her skin, but she knew better than to try and get up. She needed to play dead, to not draw attention to herself. Carefully Skye pried her eyelids open slightly, just enough to sneak a look at the room she was in. As far as she could tell it was a small prison, the dark grey walls were stained in what looked like blood and Skye involuntary gagged. 'Pull yourself together' she told herself sternly, but something about the cell felt familiar…

Suddenly a piercing scream erupted and echoed through the cell. In no time Skye was on her feet, hands up defensively out of instinct, facing the door to her cell. Through the small bars which filled the tiny window of the door she could see shadows moving, struggling as they filtered past. 'What is this place' Skye thought. She desperately wanted to get out. The cell was tiny and claustrophobic whilst the smell alone made her skin crawl. She felt dirty. Subconsciously her fingers traced over the 225 printed on her wrist and her eyes widened in realisation.

"Hey! Psst, hey!", slowly Skye raised her head and heaved herself up. Her body ached and her mind, scrambled. With fearful eyes, she slowly made her way to the door of her cell but she was too small to see through the barred window. Skye scanned the room for anything she could use but it was empty except a couple of pens and paper which scattered the floor. She didn't remember when but she must have made this mess at some point. Skye groaned in frustration when an idea popped into her head. Carefully, she ripped a small thin line from her grey, plain dress and wrapped one end around her bony wrist. She then jumped as high as she could wrapping the other end of the material around one of the bars. With firm concentration Skye managed to use the material as leverage, propelling her feather-light body upwards, her feet scraping the door as she climbed. Skye gripped the bars using all her strength to keep her face in line with the window as she peered out. "Hey! Now I can see you" the voice said. Skye peered through the bars and saw a thin hallway and opposite her was a door identical to hers. However, this door had the face of a young boy looking out. He had short brown hair and a bruised eye. "Hey don't be scared. I'm Donnie who are you?". His gentle voice calmed the young girl and she wiped her long brown hair from her eyes before answering "I don't know"

Skye was snapped back to reality as another high pitch scream pierced the air. She stared numbly at the door, the window now head height. 'So I did know Donnie, I was… here' Skye thought clapping a hand over her mouth. Confusion merged with grief consumed her. Her brain ached and it felt like she had just ran a marathon. Despite not being able to control her flashbacks and memories, one thing Skye could always control was what she done and when but now even that had been taken from her. Freedom had been replaced with four grey walls. In her flashback the room had seemed bigger but now Skye looked around she truly realised how much she had grown. If she stretched her arms out her fingertips brushed both walls.

Skye felt like she had been trapped there for an eternity. Seconds stretched into minutes, minutes into hours and hours into days. She couldn't recall the last time she had properly slept, washed or ate. Everything became one moment. Eventually the time came when Skye saw something other than the walls of her cell but as soon as she left she wished she never had.

"Pause there"

Fitz paused the CCTV footage. The last few days the team had been searching ruthlessly for any leads. They needed to know what Hydra knew and to do that they needed to know why Skye had been such a priority target.

"Mr Grant Ward, known enemy to SHIELD, possible Hydra alliances but we believe he has since gone rogue. He's been on SHIELD's radar for a while now." Fitz rallied off.

"He will know the information we're looking for but he won't give it up easy, I can get it out of him" Hunter said.

Coulson waved a hand dismissively "I believe this is more than just a simple Hydra mission. No, somethings not right" Coulson rubbed a hand over his jaw. May had hardly seen him this disorientated and it worried her. Coulson's hunches although mostly far-fetched were usually correct. Hydra had an operation in place and it was big. This Skye girl was a crucial part of it. The team jumped as Coulson smacked his hands down on the table "Fitz, Simmons keep searching for leads. Pull up missing people's files find a link! May, Hunter and Mack hit the streets, known Hydra associates past allies and find out what you can. Try hitting a few of Wards known hide outs. Bobbi I need to speak with you privately"

Everyone nodded and left to their respective positions leaving Bobbi and Coulson alone. Hunter paused at the door and with one last look at Bobbi followed the others. Coulson sighed and took a seat behind his desk gesturing for Bobbi to do the same. "Somethings not right and we all know it. Hydra have spent too long in the shadows to then pop up with Donnie Gill, a powered person. How many more do they have? And why was Skye so important that Whitehall himself was there? They haven't spent all this time playing drinking games" he paused as if waiting for laughter which never came "I want you to find this stuff out. Bobbi I don't want to do this but I have to send you into the belly of the beast"

"Again"

Skye took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, quelling the scream wanting to erupt from her mouth. She couldn't show weakness, pain. Finally, the red hot poker had been lifted and she could breathe freely.

"Now, are you going to do as we say 225?"

Skye wriggled trying to ease the pain in her wrists which were bound to the ceiling. Her body swaying slightly as it shook. After taking a deep breath in she spoke, her voice steady and hard "no". The man sighed "again".

Again and again the pain went on. Sometimes it was just a punch to the stomach or face, other times it was the burning hot polka searing her skin. Whatever they did it hurt. But she wouldn't become their lab rat. After about an hour of on and off torture her body was numb. She couldn't feel her arms and they were growing steadily pale. Cold sweats attacked her and she shivered non-stop, teeth chattering whilst blood dripped from her tongue. "I think she's had enough today. Throw her back in her cell for a bit and we can try again tomorrow"

A smaller man rushed forward to untie her, as soon as the tightness around her wrists were released she collapsed, head colliding with the cold floor. Skye groaned and felt her body being jerked upwards. "Who are you?" she whispered hoarse. The man just laughed and put his face menacingly close to hers, spit smacking her in the eyes "wouldn't you like to know" before black.

"Again"

"No please no it hurts!" the child sobbed pushing her hands against her ears and rocking backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards.

"Let me talk to her" footsteps and then Skye felt a hand press against hers. "225 that's not a very fun name. How about I call you Daisy would you like that?" he asked softly. Skye peeked over her knees and saw a grey haired man with round glasses, she nodded shyly. "Ok Daisy what we need you to do is show us your magic, it's like pretend play ok? I need you to concentrate really hard to break that vase over there. I need you to comply do you think you could do that, for me?" Again Skye nodded, feeling calmer than before. "It hurts" she whispered.

"I know" he replied before forcing her upwards onto her feet. "Now again"

Skye tried really hard to focus but she was scared, no, terrified and her body wouldn't work the way she wanted. Suddenly the building started to shake, bits of the walls falling to the ground as the lights flickered on and off. Screaming, she let it all out, hair flying as the room shook aggressively.

"Shall we stop her sir?"

Whitehall shook his head, eyes wide "such a tiny body with such a massive gift"

Skye gasped as her body jerked awake. Immediately she hissed as she clutched a hand to her stomach. Her body was on fire, every move felt like a pin prick to her heart. She considered staying where she was, on the hard, dirty floor until she heard faint cries from the cell opposite. After a moment she heaved herself up, swaying slightly until she regained her balance. Carefully, she limped to the door grasping the bars to her window and peering through the gap. Her mouth was dry and throat thick but nevertheless she managed to croak out "hello?" her soft brown eyes met electric blue ones which appeared opposite her. "Hi" his gruff voice replied.

"My name's Skye, what's yours?" Skye asked.

"Lincoln, Lincoln Campbell"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the support! Hope you enjoy!

"I'm in, they've stationed me at one of their secret bases"

"Good. Keep me updated Bobbi" Coulson replied before ending the call. So far they had pinpointed a handful of bases which may be holding other powered people. Whitehall had to be at one of them and Coulson felt responsible to ensure he never left, or if he did he would be in a bodybag. Usually Coulson didn't feel as infuriated as he did now but something about Donnie's broken eyes and sudden lifelessness had shook him and he wanted – needed to avenge him.

Skye passed out shortly after her very few words with Lincoln. There seemed to be an invisible weight pushing her head towards the ground and every move was agonising. Her stomach felt tight and painful from where she hadn't eaten. She was so hungry and thirsty that she imagined she could smell the warm scent of something cooking. Wait. She could smell something. Slowly Skye raised her head and glanced towards the door, sitting just inside was a small bowl filled with lumpy grey mush but for once she didn't care. Skye rushed, as quickly as her injuries allowed, to the food and started forcing it down. Suddenly she wretched, vomit threatening to escape and with an effort she swallowed, the thick acid burning her throat. Eyes watering Skye hurriedly picked up the bottle of water which had been placed next to the bowl and drank greedily. She knew she should slow down but she couldn't help it everything was so good, and her body needed it desperately. Skye tried extremely hard to take her time with the last few bites and then laid down content. The food had ran out too quickly and although it was probably something simple and horrid she had enjoyed having a full stomach – well a less empty one. Swiftly Skye smacked a hand to her forehead, she was an idiot. Ward training 101: do not trust anything your captures' give you. Skye's mind was racing could the food be drugged? No she couldn't think like that.

Skye lost count of how long she had been lying on the floor for. Her body still felt weak and she hoped her injuries wouldn't get infected as she had nothing to treat them with. At one point she peeked a look to Lincolns cell but he wasn't there. She tried calling out and the lack of response worried her. Eventually her cell door was flung open and two guys stormed in. One grabbed Skye roughly and threw her light frame over their shoulder. She was too tired and weak to try fighting back, she had to preserve her energy well the little she had left. After a blurry minute Skye was thrown roughly into a cold metal chair. She watched as Whitehall sauntered into the room and paused in front of her chair. "Now Daisy, I don't suppose you remember me-"

"Actually I do. You're the coward who kidnapped me and tortured me when I was a kid!" Skye snarled her hands folding into fists.

Whitehall sighed "I thought I'd taught you better than that Daisy." With one nod, the guard stepped forward and punched Skye forcefully across the cheek. Skye bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out and spat blood onto the floor. Whitehall satisfied, continued "Is that what you think? Oh Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, kidnap?" Whitehall slowly kneeled so he was level with Skye "Oh you really don't remember do you? Well all in good time"

Despite Skye's lethargy her mind was racing. She didn't remember remember and that was the problem. She had come to assume that she had been stolen from her loving family when she was young and they'd been searching ever since. But deep down she knew that was unrealistic. She had searched through every missing person report and no one with her age or description had ever been listed. And if so how did she get her powers? Was she born with them or was she given them? She never remembered a time without them, why?

Just as Skye opened her mouth do ask Whitehall cut her off "All in good time. Now we need to make up for lost time. I was so close to achieving what I wanted until you got away but that won't happen again. Now we will begin again. I want you to shatter each glass one by one can you do that for me?" Skye remained stoic "Now go, concentrate"

Skye considered refusing like last time but she wasn't sure how long she would last. What was the worst that would happen if she complied? Slowly Skye raised her hand, pointing it at the small glass furthest to the right. She was rusty, she knew that. Ward hated her using her powers so she tried not to, only when it was necessary. With a lot of effort and concentration Skye smiled when the glass shattered, shards flying to the floor. "Good, again". They worked at it for five minutes until Skye could feel her body shaking with exhaustion. She vaguely remembered when she was little and her powers felt like a blessing, now it felt like a curse. Whitehall noticed her lack of energy and called it a day. Relief washed through her and as she had behaved they allowed her to walk back to her cell. Dragging her feet, Skye walked slowly and heard the guards following muttering under their breaths. Calming her mind, Skye waited until she had rounded the corner before suddenly turning and with all her effort, forcing a wave out from her palms and into the two guards sending them flying into the wall with a resounding crack.

Immediately, Skye took off sprinting down the corridor as quickly as her battered body would allow her. Her vision was slightly blurred which meant a lot of stumbling into walls. The hallways seemed endless, a complex labyrinth and the small bubble of hope inside her stomach was beginning to subside. She was lost and in pain. How did she think she could escape? As Skye flew around the next corner her body slammed into something and she fell to the floor, arms flailing and eyes wide. She forced her head upwards and gasped. A woman with long dark hair towered over her but she recognised the face. Wasn't she SHIELD though? What was she doing here or had Skye gotten it wrong and she was actually a hydra agent? Suddenly, Skye realised she wasn't alone…

"Ward?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support, I hope you enjoy!

"Ward this is Ms Morse, Ms Morse, Ward. Your both the manpower behind this operation. When we get alerted to the presence of powered individuals, we will rely on you to bring them in quietly. In between those missions you will aid with the prisoners we already have here. Dismissed"

Ward and Bobbi left immediately. Because of their new positions they had been granted accommodation within facility. Something both parties were eager to exploit.

"You don't look like Hydra material" Ward remarked, breaking the silence.

"Neither do you" Bobbi retorted.

Just as they were about to turn the corner Bobbi was suddenly knocked off balance. Ward instinctively reached out to steady her.

"Ward?"

Ward's jaw dropped. If Skye hadn't spoken it might have taken him longer to recognise her. She looked terrible. Her hair rested wildly on her shoulders, whilst her face and body were covered in dust, blood, and bruises. Her eyes, which were usually a sparky brown, were dull, tired and swollen from crying. She was wearing a thin white, blood stained dress which was torn in places and shook as Skye's body violently shivered. Immediately, Ward was down to her level assessing her injuries.

"Skye I'm so sorry are you okay? No of course you're not okay, just try to take deep breaths for me." Skye's body seemed to give up fighting as she slumped into Wards open arms. "You're ok" he whispered "I promise you will be ok"

Bobbi had been watching the scene with wide eyes. The Ward she had seen in the office a mere ten minutes ago was a completely different Ward to the who crouched in front of her now. Which was the true Ward? Fitz had said he had been associated with Hydra for a while, but the people here didn't seem to know him very well. Yes, Grant Ward was a puzzle Bobbi would have the pleasure of solving.

"Oh thank God, Ward has apprehended her. Take her back to her cell" Whitehall demanded.

Ward allowed the men to take the now unconscious girl from his arms and straightened up.

"Well done Ward, you too Ms…?"

"Morse" Bobbi replied.

Whitehall nodded and continued on. As soon as he was out of earshot Ward took off following the men to the room Skye was being held in. Bobbi followed and after Ward had finished peeking in to make sure Skye was still breathing, he visibly relaxed. Bobbi raised an eyebrow "you know her?". Obviously, Bobbi already knew the answer to this.

"I thought I knew her" Ward chose to reply before backing away but Bobbi followed.

"How many powered people do they have here anyway?" She tested.

Ward shrugged "A few. People kept here tend to be more dangerous than the one's in other facilities."

"And that girl back there, she's dangerous?"

Ward shook his head "Skye is anything but dangerous" he spat "what's you deal anyway? I haven't seen you around here before or anywhere really and I know a lot of people."

Bobbi turned to face him "You keep your secrets and I'll keep mine" she said before striding off.

Skye groaned and rolled onto her back. Her head ached but she couldn't stop replaying that moment in her head. Ward was here. Why did that make her stomach squirm? He was Hydra, she knew that, he gave her up! But the look of desperation in his eyes made her rethink her opinion of him… Maybe he was just as trapped as her? 'No stop them thoughts' Skye scolded herself. Right now it was easier for everyone else to be the bad guy. She was in too much pain to consider otherwise. She couldn't trust anyone.

Suddenly the door broke open and Ward strode in, yanking her up and dragging her from the room. "Don't struggle" he whispered in her ear, but Skye couldn't struggle, she was too weak. Skye was forced roughly onto a metal table and she could see Whitehall's face looming over hers as Ward tied the restraints.

"Hello Daisy" he whispered into her ear, menacingly. "I've decided after your drastic actions today that we need to step this up a level. If you won't comply then we have no other choice"

Skye watched, terrified as he held up a scalpel. "Now don't move"

A piercing pain shot from her stomach and she screamed. Whitehall didn't flinch and continued cutting deeper into her. Skye felt the cold of the blade against her skin as he cut, again and again and again. Each scream grew weaker and the pain more dull as her body shut down. The last thing she remembered before passing out was Ward watching from the corner, face stoic…

Skye spent the next few hours fading in and out of consciousness. Her mind felt heavy and her body ached. She desperately wished she were anywhere but here, she wanted the pain to stop, her thoughts to stop. She wanted her memories back and to understand why this was happening and why Ward seemed like a stranger.

"Skye!"

Skye jumped awake, eyes frantically searching for the intruder.

"Skye!"

Slowly, Skye clambered to her feet, grunting in pain. Clutching her stomach she limped over to the bars and peeked through. Lincoln looked just as bad as she did, he was sporting a swollen eye and slashed cheek.

"You don't look so good" he remarked.

"Neither do you" Skye replied.

Lincoln sighed "Are you okay? I heard a lot of yelling earlier"

"Yeah i'm... well i'm okay. Hey Lincoln how long have you been here?"

Lincoln frowned "Uh I'm not too sure. I can't remember much from before… what about you?"

Skye shot him a sympathetic look "I'm not too sure either. I think I was here as a kid but I don't know how I got out or why. I just keep getting bits and pieces flashing back to me." Skye groaned and hit the door in frustration "I wish I could remember!"

"Hey" Lincoln comforted "it's going to be alright. Skye listen to me, we will get through this. Your so strong-"

Lincoln was cut off as guards passed through between them dragging a young man behind them. Skye gasped, she recognised the face even though she had just seen photos of the guy. She would bet her life that the unconscious form was Thomas Ward.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support!

Wards brother was here… a prisoner like her? Skye shook her head surely Ward would have mentioned if his brother had powers. Was he here for leverage, to keep Grant in check? Countless questions whirled around her already foggy mind as she lay on the floor of her cell. Every breath caused a shooting pain along her chest and her body ached from her previous torture. She wished she were anywhere but here. Usually she could be strong, she had been in several bad situations before, but none compared to this. She could feel her strength fading, her usual sarcastic remarks dissolving on her tongue as hope began to disintegrate from her eyes. There was no hope. She berated herself for allowing a tiny amount of hope in because, even if she hated to admit it, when she saw Ward in that hallway she had hoped he would be able to save her, like the countless times before but she had been wrong. Ward's unaffected face as she laid on the table, begging to die kept infiltrating her mind and it made her feel worse.

Skye had lost count of how long it had been since her attempted escape. Since her last session with Whitehall she had been left alone for what felt like days. Lincoln had been taken out of his cell at least five times so she could only assume that more than five days had past, but it was hard to be sure. Either way Skye had been given limited food and water which showed in her figure. She could feel her rib cage poking out from under her now greyed dress and her cheek bones were more apparent, everything was just bone. She also felt weaker. Walking to the door for her frequent talks with Lincoln was painful and a real struggle, honestly Skye wondered if this was what it was like to be dying.

So far Bobbi had gathered limited intel. She knew that Whitehall was keeping and torturing powered people and this Skye was one of them but that was it. She needed to know why, what was Whitehall's endgame? This was why she was now currently walking around the base trying to gather as much information as possible without being caught. Whitehall's base of operation was in the middle of nowhere and operated much like a prison camp. There were several different blocks connected by dark gloomy hallways. She had already seen the operations room which was situated near the offices and not far from her bunk. The next block which was central to the building was the torture rooms. Bobbi had only managed a peek inside whilst walking past and it made her spine shiver. Several rooms were scattered with blood, some with lab equipment whilst others were empty. 'This is inhumane' she thought moving past to the next block. The next block seemed to be the cell's where the powered individuals were being kept. Each room was small and dark and from what Bobbi could see, each 'prisoner' sported the same dark grey jumpsuit, all apart from Skye who she remembered had been in a white dress. Something about this unnerved Bobbi. In addition, to her knowledge Whitehall was very rarely seen with any of the subjects themselves but she had remembered Whitehall hunting Skye himself when she had tried to escape.

Either way she needed to find out more. The next block contained even more labs with scientists rushing around analysing samples. However, the worst was yet to come. The next section labelled 'enlightenment centre' opened into a dark gloomy dining hall. The room was eerily silent which was why Bobbi was shocked to see about eighty children seated around eight long tables. Each child wore what she had seen the adult prisoners wearing and were eating out of small wooden bowls. To her relief none of the children looked hurt just slightly undernourished. Did all these kids have powers too? How the hell did no one notice they were gone? Bobbi quickly moved into the next corridor which led to a series of smaller rooms containing bunk beds, where the children must sleep. When Bobbi returned back to her bunk she used her encrypted line to contact Coulson immediately. This was inhumane.

"Get up"

Skye squinted as a harsh light was suddenly pointed at her.

"I said get up!"

Skye done as she was told the guard grabbing her just before she wobbled and could fall again. She stumbled next to the guards as they dragged her down the corridors but this time, they went past the usual torture rooms and instead turned right down towards a slightly lighter corridor with paintings on the wall. The guard pushed her into a room on the left which was a big bedroom. The furnishings looked expensive and the bed soft and comfy… how Skye longed to sleep in it.

Suddenly Whitehall appeared from a side room "ah Daisy. I hope you are well?"

Skye immediately felt uncomfortable. His smile was unusual and creepy whilst his eyes examined her scarred and bruised body. Slowly he approached her, reaching a hand out to stroke her cheek "I have an important meeting and I was hoping I could get you to join us? Aisha here will help you prepare, I've picked out something which should suffice. Oh before I forget" Whitehall handed her a small velvet box. Seeing Skye's hesitation, he nodded "open it".

Skye braced herself for some twisted trap but was surprised. Inside the box was a small metallic bracelet which Whitehall picked up and fastened around her skinny wrist. "After some experimentation I discovered a way to take away your powers when and where I want. After the stunt you pulled last week, I decided this was necessary. My sweet Daisy I hope you don't disappoint me again" He smiled again before leaving but the guards remained outside the door.

Skye could feel the intense buzzing inside her immediately subside. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't quake. Usually she was just too tired or too drugged to do it but this time she couldn't feel any vibrations in the room around her. Skye couldn't remember the last time she had felt this empty. She had assumed she would've felt relieved but she didn't, it felt like something of hers had been stripped away, like she wasn't whole anymore…

"Miss"

Skye turned to Aisha who was standing nervously in front of another door.

"I have been instructed to make sure you wash and get dressed"

Skye nodded mutely, moving through the door and into the luxurious bathroom. Aisha waited outside whilst Skye stripped and showered. She had dreamt of a warm shower for weeks of the warm water soothing her aching muscles and her hair feeling soft and clean again but in reality, the warmth made her cuts sting and the steam made her eyes water. Every drop of water felt like a pin prick against her skin. Whitehall had managed to strip away everything which allowed her to live. With the noise of the water echoing in the spacious bathroom, Skye allowed herself to cry. Cry like she had never felt pain before.

"You know what you have to do"

Bobbi nodded before signing off, Coulson's head disappearing from her phone screen. Coulson and the rest of the team had been just as shocked and horrified at her findings as she had been. They all agreed that action needed to be taken as quickly as possible, the only thing was that they were outnumbered. Hydra's base would be impossible to infiltrate without it being destroyed and this meant the powered individuals being killed. The only way for SHIELD to win was for Bobbi to be careful and start an attack from the inside.

Bobbi cautiously made her way to some of the offices, after picking one she entered and started to sift through the filing cabinets. There were paper kept files on every prisoner they had here, many contained ghastly photographs of the many failed experiments which had taken place. Bobbi fought the urge to throw up and moved onto the computers. She stealthily plugged in the trojan horse Fitz had created. It needed about fifteen minutes which gave her time to do more snooping. Suddenly Bobbi came across a file which displayed a familiar picture. Above the picture was the number 225. Curiosity overtook her as she opened the file. There were several pictures and notes scribbled beside them. Pictures of Skye every year from approximately aged 5 up until age 18 when all notes seemed to disappear that was until about two years later which showed the Skye Bobbi had seen, the one who had collapsed in front of her and Ward, weak and panicked. Bobbi felt uncomfortable, this was someone's life documented as some sick experiment and she was here looking through it, invading her privacy. No, she couldn't read the notes scribbled in black ink nor stare too long at the photographs it was wrong. But a part of her needed more information… Bobbi decided to compromise and hid the file in a concealed pocket inside her coat. If she managed to save Skye then maybe she could give it to the girl and if Skye turned out to be some heartless mercenary like they had initial thought then they would have all the information on her to be able to take her down. But deep-down Bobbi knew there was no way Skye could be a cold heartless killer, the poor girl was just another victim of Hydra.

Bobbi unplugged the trojan horse, slipping it into her pocket. She was about to retreat back to her bunk when movement from the door caught her eye.

"I knew it" Ward was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"Knew what?" Bobbi asked innocently, standing up eyes level with Wards.

"Your not Hydra. A person like you in a place like this? Even you couldn't hide the disgust from your face. I have to admit you were good, even I would have missed the signs if I hadn't been searching for them. Who do you work for? SHIELD or the FBI, some other task force?" Ward questioned.

Bobbi didn't flinch "I don't know what your talking about"

Ward let out a small laugh "look I don't care who you work for as long as we are on the same page"

Bobbi raised an eyebrow "and what page is that?"

"Taking this facility down"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the support! I just realised that the dreams / flashbacks aren't coming out in italics like I wrote them in... I hope you can still see which are which

The next thing Skye knew she was dressed in a clean, long black top secured tightly with a belt just above her waist. The top had a hood attached, and with her dark pants, she looked rebellious and matched the Hydra soldiers patrolling the base. Skye wondered why, why did Whitehall suddenly care about what she looked like?

"I need you to come with me now miss" Aisha told her softly, moving towards the door.

Silently, Skye followed. She felt refreshed but still shaky like two different parts of herself were battling inside her. Aisha led Skye into a white room, some guards were stationed by the door and there was a large TV monitor on the wall opposite. Aisha motioned for Skye to stand in the centre of the room so she did, feeling unnerved. Her mind was racing through possible scenario's, each one more horrifying than the last.

"You look wonderful"

Skye flinched as Whitehall entered and inspected her. She tried to remain still but every muscle in her body was itching to lash out and hurt him.

"Now we wait" Whitehall said.

"Sir we have access to their computers, Bobbi done it" Fitz announced, barging his way into Coulson's office.

"Good, look through everything. We need a way to infiltrate the base" Coulson replied.

"There's an incoming transmission now, if I can just… Bullseye"

Suddenly a video appeared on the screen, the video was split in two Skye and Whitehall on one side and a couple of people in suits on the other.

"What is this?" Coulson asked.

Fitz ran a hand through his hair "It looks like they are having a meeting of some sort. They don't know we are watching though"

"Good, call the rest of the team up, they should see this"

"Yes sir"

As soon as the rest of the team had congregated in the office Fitz resumed the video.

"Welcome everyone, I hope you are well" Whitehall began. "I have called you here today to give you all an insight into how our project is progressing. As you may know subject 225 here has been our most successful experiment yet and I am pleased to say she is now again in our possession."

One of the suits, a woman with dark curly hair straightened up "You mean to say you have re captured her? Is this her?"

Whitehall smiled, running a hand through Skye's freshly combed hair, "Yes and just as powerful as before".

Coulson felt a surge of hatred as he saw fear in Skye's eyes and the slight flinch when Whitehall had touched her. Although she looked better than what Bobbi had described, her face was still bruised and her eyes dull. She also swayed on the spot, her stick thin arms shaking slightly, exposed.

The people in suits also smiled, the lead woman spoke up again "And how many others are there?"

"In this facility, our main base of operations, we have twenty powered individuals and seventy six children. Obviously we do not yet know how many of these children will become powered and the one's that don't will be disposed of."

The only person in the room who looked alarmed was Skye, Whitehall and the people in suits seemed pleased.

"But this will not matter" Whitehall continued "I believe everything we need is right here" he gestured to Skye, who looked down at the floor.

"What do you mean?" The lady asked.

"Unlike the rest of the powered people in Hydra's possession, subject 225 here, has been raised by us, we gave her powers when she was merely a child. 225 has not known the outside world like the others, has no recollection of a life before Hydra. It has allowed us to make her comply, to mould her into the soldier you need. Unfortunately her, uh, escape a couple of years ago did set us back but I can assure you that we are nearly at the breakthrough we have been waiting for. Just give us a few more weeks, I will make her comply and then she will be ready for the next phase."

"We do not have weeks" the lady replied. "You have three days. On the third day I will send someone to the facility, we will need a demonstration"

Whitehall nodded "and you will be pleased. The destroyer of worlds is finally going to happen, ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you."

The screen went black.

Coulson rubbed his chin, eyes focused on the blank screen before him. He needed to prevent this next stage and he had three days to do it. "Get Bobbi on the line".

"Yes sir, you got it" Bobbi replied before putting the phone down.

"Who was that?" Ward asked.

After their initial conversation Bobbi had moved the planning session to her bunk where privacy was easier to come by. "The man in charge. With all due respect I still don't know if I can trust you"

"You shouldn't" Ward growled "but my brother is being kept prisoner here."

Bobbi allowed her mask to slip in favour of curiosity "what does Whitehall want with your brother?"

Ward sighed "To punish me. Many years ago, I broke Hydra's trust and since then I've been on the run, hiding things from them. Once they found out they wanted me to set things right" Ward let out a harsh laugh "they wanted me to do the complete opposite of what I did to defy them in the first place." Ward looked to the floor, his eyes haunted "but I did it. I gave in and gave them what they wanted all because I was a coward. They had Tommy… I couldn't let Hydra hurt him. Hydra still doesn't trust me, I think they ordered me here so they could keep an eye on me, make me watch the people I care about suffer. Well now I will watch Whitehall suffer."

Bobbi allowed a few moments to pass before she spoke again "You will. We are going to burn this place to the ground but first we have to make sure our plan succeeds and to do that we need the powered people on our side"

Ward shook his head "we just need Skye"

"Three days' time… Owens it's your top priority to set up the chamber. Klein prepare the isolation room." Whitehall ordered.

Skye watched as several soldiers ran from the room, Whitehall's eyes then focused on her. Just as Skye went to look away, Whitehall forced her chin upwards "Subject 225, you will listen to me and you will obey my commands. In fact, I think I know just the way to make you do that."

Skye felt a sharp pain in her neck and her body suddenly felt heavy "nph… no"

As her body slowly sunk to the floor she fought to keep her eyes open but her body was betraying her. The last thing she saw was Whitehall's face smiling down at her.

When Skye awoke she was in an empty darkened room with no visible windows or doors. Her head felt fuzzy and her body ached. Slowly, Skye used the wall to push herself upwards, she was no longer dressed in her 'warrior' outfit but was back in her greyed dress. The silence was unnerving and the lack of light played tricks on her eyes. Suddenly Skye heard a shuffle from the corner of the room followed by a small sob.

"Who's there?" she whispered, trying and failing to sound menacing.

After a couple of seconds Skye's eyes adjusted and she could see a small child with long brown hair curled up in the corner of the room.

Carefully, Skye crouched down to her level "Hey, it's okay. My name's Skye, what's yours?"

The girl sniffed and peeked through her hands "Katya"

"Ok Katya, I promise I won't hurt you. What's the matter?" Skye asked.

The little girl shuffled "I'm sorry, but they told me to do it"

"Told you to do what Katya?"

The girl slowly stood up, shaking slightly "kill you"

Skye's eyes widened in horror as she shrunk backwards, panicking slightly when her back hit the wall.

"I need your pain"

Katya held out her hand, eye's consumed with hunger as she stepped closer and closer towards Skye. Skye had never felt as afraid as she did then. She didn't want to die. She hadn't properly lived yet, her life was meant to lead to better things not one nightmare after another. But she couldn't fight a child, she couldn't kill her, like last time…

"Daisy come here"

Skye obeyed and moved closer to Whitehall.

"Did you know your special?", Skye shook her head. "Well you are. You see, your different, powerful and I want you to show me ok? Today we will be playing a new game. But if you lose, I will have to punish you again. Remember what that was like last time?"

Skye's body gave an involuntary shudder whilst a whimper escaped her mouth. She remembered the needles and the cutting… it had hurt so badly… the man with the fire sticks…

"Good. Now we are going to have some guests. Yesterday we practised how you could direct a vibrational force, I want you to do this to them" Skye followed Whitehall's pointed finger and saw that four children had entered the room. They all seemed about eight years old, double the age of little Skye.

"Go!"

Skye put up her hand and easily forced her four opponents to the floor before they had even moved.

Whitehall smiled "good!" he praised moving forward and crouching in front of Skye. "Now I want you to kill them"

"Katya please, it's okay. I understand, I don't blame you. I know that if you fail worse things will happen, so go ahead kill me" Skye closed her eye's. Perhaps death was the only way out of this prison. She deserved to die, she needed to the pain to stop. She had nothing to live for.

As soon as Katya placed her hand on Skye, she felt the life being sucked out of her. 'Quick, I want it to be quick' she silently begged.

Suddenly, Katya's body jolted and flew across the room, smacking the adjoining wall with a sickening crunch.

"Katya?!" Skye screamed, running forward and throwing herself to the floor next to the pale child. She hadn't meant to… her powers had just reacted, went into defence mode… she couldn't stop the quake…

"Katya, please wake up! Please! No, no, no, no, no! I'm so so sorry" she sobbed, her hands shakily feeling for a pulse but there was no sign of life. "Katya…"

She was just a kid… she had murdered a small child, she was a monster…

"Subject 225 what did I say!"

"I can't" Skye whispered, tears bubbling in her big brown eyes.

"We do not accept failure" Whitehall replied before pulling out a gun.

Before Skye could even comprehend what was going on, four loud bangs rang out causing her to scream and put her hands over her ears. She felt Whitehall roughly tug her hands away and pull her towards the other children.

"Look what you did" Whitehall said, pushing her face close to one of the children.

Skye couldn't help it, she cried. She knew crying was bad, Whitehall and the doctors told her it was bad but her heart hurt and she couldn't stop it. She had never seen a dead body before. Her tiny mind could barely understand what it meant but all she knew was that it was her fault. The boys blank open eye's bore into her soul, it was unnatural and scary. It was all her fault.


End file.
